Do a trial of Zulip.

Stop by the Zulip community server to see
what an active Zulip organization looks like. The Zulip community
server has around 10,000 users with several hundred weekly actives.

Try to get at least a few very busy people to take a look at topic-based
threads on the community server and/or read
Why Zulip. Zulip has a unique threading model that makes
everybody more productive, but those in meetings all day are often the
first people to “get it” and be strong advocates for Zulip internally.

A user experience trial of a team chat tool like Zulip works best if
you have a team spend a week using it as their primary work
communication tool; this allows the trial group to get familiar with
the tool (and with Zulip, experience the magic of topics).

Import your HipChat data.

You can export from HipChat or Stride, and import into Zulip Cloud or Zulip
on-premise. Instructions are available here.

If you’re importing into Zulip Cloud, we recommend doing a test import
with us a few days before, and then scheduling a migration date to
make sure there is as little interruption in service as possible. The
import can take anywhere from a few seconds to several hours depending
on how much data you have.

Decide on a payment plan.

See zulipchat.com/plans for Cloud
pricing, or email support@zulipchat.com for on-premise support
options. We also offer affordable paid installation help that includes
installing and configuring Zulip.